


Inevitable

by mountainofschist



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Angst, Bi!Emma, Emma is immune, Emma might get a gf, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, idk how im not a biologist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2019-11-12 07:15:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18006278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mountainofschist/pseuds/mountainofschist
Summary: Emma should be dead, or at least one of them. It's her vs an alien pathogen, can this cute lil' barista save the world?





	1. Chapter 1

          Emma covered her face as Paul and his Ensemble of infected bared down on her in the hospital’s waiting room. She screwed her eyes shut as they pinned her legs down and tensed her arms as Paul grabbed and pulled at her wrists with inhuman strength.

_This is how I fucking die. Alone in the waiting room of a hospital in fucking Clivesdale. I’m sorry that I failed you Jane, I just wanted to make you proud by becoming a pot farmer in Colorado._

She gritted her teeth as her muscles burned and yanked one of her feet free, kicking blindly.

_NO! I am not going to die today!_

Confidence surged through her as her foot connected with someone’s face with a sickening crunch. She heard Bill call out in pain but another pair of hands appeared where his used to be and crushed the little hope she had.

“Emma, there’s no need to fight anymore, you lost.” Paul sang as he pulled at her wrists again.

Emma shook her head in protest and tried to rip her body away from him. Paul tightened his grip on her before lifting her a couple of inches up and slamming her down into the tile floor.

“Now Emma, I’d be careful if I was you. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.” Paul warned her, loosening his iron grip on her.

Emma took a deep breath and shouted from behind her hands. “Paul, please fight this! You fucking hate musicals, if anyone can snap out of this it’s you!”

Goosebumps spread over Emma’s arms as Paul’s thumb gently brushed over the back of her hand. “Oh Em. It’s not that bad. Don’t you want to be happy? Wouldn’t you love to see your sister again? If you join us you’ll have eternity with her and me.”

Rage boiled through her blood at the mention of her sister and she threw Paul off, uncovering her face in the process. Her heart dropped as she watched Paul’s face twist from hopeful to something demented and terrifying. She clamped her mouth shut as Paul put his hands on each side of her head and slowly tilted it back.

“Emma, it's time.” He sang with a smile before forcing her mouth open with his thumbs and vomiting blue goo into her mouth.

 

          Emma pushed Paul away and spit the goo out, gagging at the acrid taste of it. She took a deep breath as the Ensemble backed away and shivered as her skin crawled under their eerie gaze. She spit again as her mouth filled with pre-puke saliva before being followed with more goo and bile.

“What the fuck is happening?” Paul whispered, panic lacing his tone.

“I have no fucking clue.” Bill whispered back in the same tone.

Emma shakily stood and turned to face the Ensemble, wiping her face and smiling. “I really fucking hate singing.”

Paul’s face twisted in anger and he charged her but she ducked under his arms and b-lined for a door that she hadn’t seen in her earlier panic. She pushed it open and hobbled down the hallway, turning corner after corner before she ducked into a patient room, locking the door behind her and tying her tie around the hydraulic arm at the top of the door. She limped over to a corner and sank to the floor. She studied her hands, looking for any sign of her impending transformation.

_I thought it would be more immediate than this._

She yawned as a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

_If I’m gonna be one of those things, I might as well spends my last moments sleeping._

Emma let her head fall back against the cold, cinder block wall and quickly dozed off.

 

          Emma woke with a start as she heard voices echo down the hall.

“Why do you think she didn’t change?”

“I don’t know. Nobody’s ever resisted this long.”

“Would you two shut up, you’ll never be able to find her if she can hear you from a mile away!”

“Sorry, Paul.” The first voice murmured.

“He can be such a dick sometimes, Charlotte.” the second voice grumbled.

“Shhh- He’ll hear you Alice!” Charlotte hissed.

Emma pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. They’re gonna find me._

Emma looked around the room desperately, a small scrap of hope fluttering in her chest when she noticed the cabinets across the room. She quietly unlocked the door, pulled her tie off and crawled into one of the cabinets. She held her breath as the voices grew closer, almost certain that they’d hear her thundering heart. She clamped her hand over her mouth as the door opened and someone walked in, their shoes clicking on the tiles. She started shaking as they walked over to the cabinets.

“Hey, this door’s locked!” Someone shouted from down the hall and the person in her room ran out, the door slamming shut behind them.

Emma took a deep breath and sat in her cabinet for a hot second to make sure she was in the clear before carefully climbing out and resecuring the door. Emma climbed into the bed and sighed as her body relaxed into the mediocre mattress.

_How long can I survive in this room? Sure there’s a connected bathroom, but there’s no food, so a week at most. But if I hide in here will there even be a world left in a week? They took all of Hatchetfield in a day. How can a barista save the world?_

 

          Emma rubbed her eyes and squinted against the sunlight streaming in through the window.

_Why do I feel like I have a hangover?_

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, chills running up her spine as her bare foot made contact with the cold floor.

She looked down and sighed. “How the fuck did I lose my shoe?”

She pulled her other shoe off and hid it in the cabinet.

_That’s gonna be fun for the person who finds it. Are they even people anymore?_

She shut the cabinet and limped over to the monitor stand, carefully moved the monitor to the bed and unscrewed the top and bottom of the stand, leaving just the pole. Emma took her tie off the door, unlocked it and opened it a crack, pausing to listen for voices. Once she could tell the coast was clear she snuck out into the hall and towards the main part of the building. She ducked into a nearby room as a P.E.I.P. soldier rounded the corner and continued down the way Emma had came. Emma waited for the footsteps to fade before sneaking back into the hallway. She crouched as the hall turned into a glass walkway over a small park and pond.

_It's a two story drop, if I land in the pond it won't hurt… too bad._

Emma adjusted her grip on the pole and slammed it into the glass, the impact creating a web-like crack. She hit it a few more times, backed up and took a running leap into the damaged glass, breaking through and falling into the pond. Pain coursed through her body as the impact with the water jarred her leg wound. Emma waded out of the pool and looked up as the Ensemble ran to the busted window.

“Fuck you!” She flipped them off with both hands and limped off into Clivesdale.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I know that they called it a meteor in the show, but it's actually a meteorite. The writer in me wanted to follow them, but the geologist in me won the battle.

         Emma’s teeth chattered as a cold, early spring breeze whipped around her, causing her soaked clothes to stick to her body. She kept her eyes low as she limped through the neighborhood next to the hospital. She paused as a school bus stopped a couple houses ahead of her and smiled as a group of elementary school kids filed off the bus, giggling, playing and jumping in puddles left over by the previous day’s rain. She quickly glanced over her shoulder and her heart dropped at the sight of the hospital on the horizon.

_Fuck. These kids are so close to those… things._

She shook her head and continued on her path, wincing with each step as they crushed the broken glass from the window further into her feet and her leg wound pulsed in time with her racing heartbeat. White hot pain suddenly shot up her leg as a small stone forced its way into one of the wounds on the sole of her foot.

“Fuck!” Emma cried out as she fell back into the grass next to the sidewalk, desperate to take the pressure off of the stone. She pushed herself into a sitting position and pulled her foot to an angle that allowed her to see the stone. Emma took a calming breath before pushing her fingers into the wound, she quickly bit down on her other hand to prevent a scream from escaping her throat. Her jaw clamped down tighter when her fingers found the stone and slowly began to pull it out, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as her teeth broke through skin. She collapsed onto her back as the stone came free, lazily throwing it at a nearby tree.

“Are you alright?” a soft voice asked from somewhere near her feet.

Emma shot up and scrambled away from the voice, pausing when she saw a woman around her age with short, curly red hair. Emma stealthily moved her arm to cover the growing blood stain on her thigh and nodded. “Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine.”

The woman crouched down and looked at Emma’s feet. “Are you sure? That wound on your thigh looks pretty rough and I’m certain your feet have had better days.”

Emma pulled her feet away from the woman and eyed her for a moment. “Who are you?”

The woman smiled causing small crows eyes to form around her brown eyes. “I’m Corrine, but you can call me Corri. I’m a paramedic with the CFD and I’d be more than happy to take a look at your feet…” Corri trailed off, waiting for Emma to supply her name.

“I’m Emma, but you can call me Emma.”

Corri’s smile grew bigger as she chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you Emma. I’m off duty today, but I’m sure my Chief wouldn’t mind me bringing you into the Station for help.”

Emma quickly shook her head, panic rising in her chest. “No!”

Corri recoiled from the outburst and Emma rubbed her eyes in disdain. _I’m such a fucking idiot._

“I’m sorry, it’s just not a good idea to go to a fire station. The first responders were the first to go in Hatchetfield.”

Corri inched forward, confusion knitting her brows together. “What do you mean ‘First to go’? Hatchetfield was destroyed by the meteorite on impact. They said that there was a busted gas line that was being worked on nearby and it blew when the meteorite impacted.”

Emma pulled her hand away from her eyes with a sigh. “I… I don’t know how to word this correctly, but they lied to everyone about everything that happened in Hatchetfield.”

Corri moved even closer. “Emma, how can you know this?”

Emma shook her head, not meeting Corri’s eyes. “I know because I’m from Hatchetfield. We weren’t blown up by the meteorite, the government-” Emma trailed off as a demented song echoed between the houses.

“Emma, don’t you want to sing with us? You’ve got to give up your choice and just let it out, let it out, let it out!”

Emma slowly turned her head and her heart dropped at the sight of the Ensemble marching down the street with Paul at the helm. Emma started to shakily get to her feet. “We have to fucking get out of here.” Her injured leg buckled under her weight, and she grabbed Corri’s arm for stabilization. “We have to find somewhere to hide. Do you have a place we can go?”

Corri nodded, looking between Emma and the Ensemble.

Emma squeaked in protest as Corri easily scooped her up and into a bridal carry. “What are you doing?”

Corri took of running in the opposite direction of the Ensemble. “I’m getting us out of here. You can barely walk,” Corri looked down at Emma, a smile lighting up her face, “and I don’t want to worry about losing you.”

Emma fought a smile and looked away as a blush warmed her cheeks.

 

         Corri slowed to a jog as the Ensemble’s twisted melody faded and she eventually stopped at a small brick house. Corri set Emma down on the bench before unlocking the door and carrying Emma inside, locking the door behind them. Corri set Emma down on the couch and started drawing the shades. “Who the fuck were they?”

“They were the citizens of Hatchetfield. The meteorite had some kind of alien virus in it that turns people into musical zombies. We thought they could be killed, but Charlotte… we shot her in the face with a shotgun in Hatchetfield and when I saw her in the hospital earlier today she was fine. I think that this virus allows the infected to regenerate their bodies”

Corri moved to the adjoined kitchen, “So if we can’t kill them, how can we defeat them?”

“I don’t know...” Emma sighed. “It might be stupid to tell you, but if we’re going to be in this together you need to know. Yesterday, Paul- the guy that was in the suit- tried to turn me, but I’m still here. I don’t know how and the person who’d be able to answer that question is one of them.”

Corri was silent for what felt like ages and only spoke when she walked back into the living room carrying a glass. “Here’s some water.” She handed Emma the glass and sat on the coffee table, just watching Emma as she chugged the water.

“You seem pretty human to me. And you said their bodies regenerate, your feet are still pretty fucked so that’s a good sign.” She looked Emma in the eyes, “Do you have any urge to sing?”

Emma laughed, “God no.”

Corri relaxed, slapped her knees, and stood up, “Now that we’ve determined you’re human, I’m going to grab my first aid kit.”

 

         Emma nodded, turning the glass in her hands. Her eyes wandered around Corri’s living room, taking in all of the small details. On the far wall there was a shadow box hanging with a metal inside, but Emma couldn’t make out any details from this distance. On the mantle there was a few framed photos, one of Corri with two other women who seemed related. Another was Corri and about five other firefighters in turnout trousers, covered in ash while smiling in front of a fire engine. The final picture was of Corri and a woman with light brown skin and black hair. They were in matching dark blue shirts with the CFD logo emblazoned on it. She pulled her eyes away from the mantle as Corri came back down stairs with a first aid kit and a pile of clothes. Corri put them on the coffee table and went back into the kitchen, reappearing with a glass filled with amber liquid and a bottle of whiskey. Emma took the glass from her and whistled as she looked at it. “Three fingers, I like your style.”

Corri sat on the coffee table and opened the kit. “You’re gonna wanta drink up. I don’t have any numbing meds here, so getting trashed and hoping to pass out is your best bet.”

Emma raised the glass towards Corri and downed it in a couple of burning chugs. She noticed one of Corri’s eyebrows quirk up as she held the glass out for more. “What can I say? Getting trashed is one of my specialties.”

Corri smiled and filled Emma’s glass with another three fingers. Emma downed it again and set the glass on the coffee table, taking the leather belt being offered from Corri. “This’ll work better than my hand.” She said with a smirk.

Corri nodded, put on a pair of gloves and moved Emma’s left leg, resting the calf on her knees. “Alright. I’m going to start by taking a look at your leg. Can you tell me what happened to it?”

Emma nodded. “Helicopter crash. Some metal went clean through my leg. My feet’s broken glass.” she slightly slurred, resting her head against the arm of the couch and putting the folded belt between her teeth.

Corri took another deep breath and started to unwrap the bandage, gritting her teeth as she had to peel it off of the seeping wound. She looked back to Emma’s face and relaxed when Emma gave her a nod of encouragement. Corri opened a few alcohol pads. “This is gonna hurt, Em.” She started to clean the wound with the pads, holding Emma’s leg steady as it tensed in pain. Corri tossed the pads into the pile of bandages and took a closer look at the wound. “It looks like you ripped your stitches. I was hoping this wouldn’t be the case, but because of the way you ripped them I’m gonna have take all of them out and re-suture the wound. If we’re lucky you’re gonna pass out during this.”

Emma nodded and Corri started to remove the stitches with scissors and tweezers. She set the utensils on a piece of sterile paper and picked up the needle and thread. “Here’s where the fun starts.” Corri used her left hand to hold Emma’s wound closed and pushed the needle into Emma’s skin, wincing as Emma screamed against the belt. Corri did her best to ignore Emma’s screams as she continued to sew up her leg. She felt some of the tension leave her shoulders as Emma finally passed out. “Thank god.” A small smile crept across Corri’s face. “You’re pretty damn tough, Em.”

 

         Emma squinted against a small beam of sunlight breaking through the curtains in Corri’s living room. She pushed herself up to a sitting position and looked at the bandages covering her feet.

“Good morning!” Corri cheerily called from the kitchen island.

Emma jumped and grabbed her chest, glaring at Corri. “You fucking asshole.”

Corri giggled, and brought a mug over to Emma. “Do you like coffee?”

Emma took the mug, looking inside it and smelling it before taking a cautious sip. Corri cocked her head as she sat at the opposite end of the couch. “Does my coffee meet your approval?”

Emma snorted into the mug. “Fuck.” She wiped her mouth and chin where the coffee had dribbled out. “Yeah, it’s actually better than anything I made at Beanie’s. It’s just that my coworkers poisoned the coffee on the last day, infecting all the customers.”

Corri looked at her coffee and set it on a coaster. “That’s nice.” She looked back to Emma. “How are you feeling today?”

Emma took another sip before answering. “A lot better. Thanks, for everything.”

Corri shrugged. “Helping people is my thing.”

Emma eyed Corri for a second. “How did you learn to do all of that? I feel like paramedics don’t know how to remove tiny pieces of glass from people’s feet.”

“I wasn’t always a paramedic. I used to be a resident at Clivesdale General, the hospital you ran from. But after a fire started in one of the wings several years ago I switched to the CFD and became a firefighter.” A dark look passed over Corri’s face and she glanced at the picture on her mantle. “Some stuff happened and now I’m a paramedic.” She turned back to Emma, “What about you?”

Emma whistled. “I guess I should’ve seen this coming. I definitely didn’t do anything as awesome as become a firefighter.” She said with a nervous chuckle. “I grew up in Hatchetfield but got out of there as soon as I was given my diploma. I went to Guatemala and didn’t look back until my sister died in a car accident. It was rough because my sister was the Golden Child, ya know? She graduated high school with flying colors and somehow made the Dean's List every semester in college. She got married, had kids and a white picket fence.  I still haven’t really met her kids. When I came back her husband didn’t want me to meet them because I had never shown interest in them before, so why should I be given a chance now? I was mad at him then, but I can understand it now. I was a total fuck-up, still am. When I moved back to Hatchetfield I got a job at a coffee house and started studying botany at the community college. There’s actually a deed to a 5-acre plot of land with my name on it in the hospital. I wanted to use that to start a pot farm, but that probably won’t happen now.”

Corri laughed. “That’s a good idea, weed’s the future. Or at least it was.”

Emma smiled. “That’s what I said! Paul…” Emma trailed off, tracing the rim off her mug. “He didn’t seem to like the idea as much as you.”

Corri reached for Emma’s hand but pulled back before she touched it. Corri hopped off the couch and walked over to one of the arm chairs. “I grabbed some clothes for you, they should all fit.”

Emma gratefully took the clothes. “Thanks.”

Corri stepped back awkwardly, “You, uh, can change in here. I’ll be upstairs, just give a shout when you’re done.”

 

         Emma tucked the front of the dark blue CFD shirt into the shorts gifted to her and walked upstairs, calling for Corri. Emma paused as she heard soft music coming from a room down the hall. She moved down the hall, making sure to not make any noise and slowly pushed the door open. Emma relaxed as she realized the music was coming from a speaker on the nightstand. Her eyes flicked over to Corri, who was looking through a closet with her back to Emma. She pulled off her pajama top and Emma instinctively looked away, but looked back as Corri put her hair up in a bun, the muscles in her back rippling with the movement. Emma’s heart dropped as Corri shifted slightly, the change in light revealing large areas of burn scars spreading from Corri’s hips, up her back and down her right arm. Emma took a few steps away from the door, slowly pulling it closed and walked down the hall, stopping halfway before calling for Corri again.

“I’m in the room at the end of the hall, Emma!” Corri called back.

Emma walked back down to the room and knocked before opening the door. “Hey, thanks for the clothes.”

Corri turned around, a tank top in her hands and smiled at Emma. “No problem.”

Emma’s eyes flitted over Corri’s front, noticing the burns stretching across her toned abs. “How did it happen?”

Corri put on the tank top and sat on the bed, patting the spot next to her. Emma sat down as Corri wrung her hands together. “A few years ago there was a massive skyscraper fire, nearly the entire department was called to the scene. My team was clearing the floors above the fire and trying to make sure it wasn’t spreading up when the fire hit some combustible materials that we hadn’t found yet and they exploded. I was first to wake up and find out that we were on fire. I managed to put it out and get them down to the team below us. As soon as my team was safe I went into shock and I woke up in the ICU a week later. Most of the burns were 3rd and 4th degree but some of the outer burns were only 2nd degree. Believe it or not, I was the lucky one, the two I brought out didn’t make it through the first week. The couple of years after that were filled with surgeries and physical therapy, but I wasn’t cleared for duty so they moved me to the aid car and I’ve been there for just over 6 months now.”

Emma placed her hand over Corri’s. “I…”

Corri shrugged. “It’s alright, the burns actually didn’t hurt very much because all of my nerves were damaged. I still can’t feel it, other than a bit of stiffness in the areas surrounding them.” Corri put her other hand over Emma’s and gave it a light squeeze. “Now that we’ve gotten our tragic backstories out of the way, we should probably turn on the tv to figure out just how much this thing spread overnight.”

Emma nodded and followed Corri out of the bedroom and to the living room.

 

         Emma sank into the couch as Corri flipped through the channels, searching for any news channels. “There’s no breaking news segments, so that might be a good sign.”

“Or a really bad one.” Emma said while fluffing the pillow under her arm.

Corri sat down on the couch and settled on channel 41. “The shows are still airing, which means the broadcast companies haven't fallen.” She looked down to her watch. “I’m supposed to start my next shift in two hours, but after yesterday I’m hesitant to go in.” Corri pulled out her phone and started a call. “I’m gonna try and talk my partner out of heading in today.”

 

         Emma nodded and watched as Corri stood up and paced around the ground level of her house. Her attention was drawn away from Corri as a small shape moved down the stairs and crept along the far wall. Emma smiled as a fluffy black cat with beautiful amber eyes stared at her from under one of the arm chairs. She scooted to the edge of the couch and put her hand out, cooing to the cat. It inched out and cautiously sniffed Emma’s hand before rubbing it's head against her palm. A wide smile spread across Emma’s face as she petted the cat.

“I see you’ve met Bast. I’m surprised it took her this long to come out, she loves people.” Corri said while picking up the cat and setting her on the middle cushion between the two women.

“Bast,” Emma said while scratching under her chin. “Isn’t that the Egyptian goddess of cats? What inspired that name?”

Corri nodded. “Yep, she was the goddess of protection and cats. I’ve always loved Egyptian mythology and when I saw her as a kitten in the shelter I immediately thought of Bast, so that’s what I named her.”

Emma looked from Bast to Corri. “What did you work out with your partner?”

Corri shook her head. “Kate didn’t answer so I just asked her to call me when she saw the voicemail. If you’re feeling bold, we could run by the station, see if anything has happened there.”

Emma thought for a moment. “Do you guys have hazmat suits? This is a pathogen so those can’t hurt.”

Corri stood up and walked towards the stairs. “Yeah, I’ll grab you some socks and shoes and then we’ll head out.”

 

Corri worried her bottom lip as she parked her jeep on the street outside of the station. “I don’t like how empty it is.” She pointed to the trucks parked in the open garages. “There should be firefighters doing their daily chores. This is the biggest station in Clivesdale, we should be able to see at least one firefighter from out here.” Corri opened her door and stepped out. “Stick with me.”

Emma slid out of the jeep and followed Corri up to the station and around to a door at the back. Corri stopped at the handle and turned to Emma. “This leads directly to the turnout room. The suits are hanging up on the far wall. Be careful.” Corri waited for Emma to nod before slowly opening the door and sneaking in. Corri locked the door and moved along the closest wall, pausing as she came to the end of the racks. She motioned for Emma to stop and poked her head around the corner, searching for movement. Corri grabbed Emma’s hand and darted across the gap between the racks, pushing them both up against the wall with the hazmat suits. “Stay here. I’m going to lock the other door into here and then it should be safe for us to put on the suits.”

Emma nodded as Corri moved further down the wall and disappeared around the corner. A few moments later Corri came back around the corner with a fireman’s axe in her hands. “I got us some help.” She said with a smile and holding up the axe.

Emma smiled back and pulled down a pair of suits.

 

         Emma tightened the straps to her respirator and turned to Corri. “This will protect us from the goo and airborne stuff, but if they catch you, they’ll kill you first and then turn you. I’ve seen it happen all three ways and it’s not pretty.”

Corri rolled her shoulders, “Alright, I’ll keep that in mind.”

They both froze as a crash sounded from the garage and someone started shouting. They started to move for the outside door, but stopped as they started to hear faint singing surrounding the station. Corri tightened her grip of the axe and put herself in front of Emma. “Looks like it’s about to get interesting.”


	3. Chapter 3

I’m sorry that it’s been so long since I’ve updated this story but I was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and just came home from the hospital yesterday night following my thyroidectomy. There’s still a lot of unknowns and right now I can barely even hold my head up so I can’t tell you when the next chapter is going to be posted. Thank all of you so much for reading my stories and I know this isn’t the end for them, it’s just an unintended break.

**Author's Note:**

> I watched this earlier in the week and I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack since. I wanted a better ending for Emma so here it is. If you enjoyed it come check out my tumblr @mountainofschist


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